the last standing piece of the alaskan way viaduct

[solarbird]

Since the temporary ferry terminal walkway went down last week I’ve been checking in on this one former support column:

Why?

Because this is the last standing piece of the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

That’s why it’s located where it is – it was already there – and why the new lanes bend around it but in a way that is clearly temporary. The asphalt sections that the lanes cross awkwardly over will become large planters once that last viaduct piece goes down and they can relocate those lanes to their final intended locations.

Now that the new overhead walkway is open, they’ll actually be able to do that soon.

I wonder a little bit where they’ll put it. The rest of it went into the Battery Street Tunnel, but that’s filled up now and closed.

Which means that if they ever need to take the old viaduct out of storage and put it back together, it’ll be missing a piece and this puzzle has a lot more than 5000 pieces so it’s gonna be a doozy xD

Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.

Comments

[sistawendy]

I can't imagine MOHAI wanting (much of) it, so I guess the concrete recyclers will get it. Good riddance to a lot of really dense rubbish.

When I am Imperatrix Mundi, SR 99 north of the Ship Canal Mercer will be replaced with cut-and-cover rail tunnels at least as far as Northgate. The eastern slope of Queen Anne will actually be good for something, and there will no longer be a scar through the middle of Woodland Park.

[solarbird]

Well, yeah, of course.

The commentary about putting it away in the Battery Street Tunnel was referring to most of it being used to fill in the Battery Street Tunnel. It amuses me to think of it as having been taken apart and put away.

Good riddance to a lot of really dense rubbish.

Personally, while I'm glad to see it gone, I went down and collected some Viaduct Rocks and saved them in a little glass jar. Apparently enough of us were going down there to do that that they ended up saving some and making it available somewhere - I forget where, like Sound Transit offices or something like that - so people could get their own Viaduct Rocks. ^_^